“It is difficult to put into words what that does to a dad" - Sven Nys immensely proud of son Thibau after World Cup victory in Waterloo

Thibau Nys took a brilliant victory in the opening race of the 23/24 UCI World Cup in Waterloo much to the delight and pride of his father, Sven Nys who was glued to the action.

“It is difficult to put into words what that does to a dad," Nys senior told Het Laatste Nieuws, full of pride. “The tears flowed on both sides. It was a fantastic moment that I will never forget. I think he sees this as one of the best victories of his career. He has already been world champion twice (in the juniors and promises, ed.), but this is in the pros. That is something else.”

The success of Thibau Nys both on the crosses and on the road, where he has won a stage of the Tour of Norway, GC at the Flèche du Sud and been crowned u23 road race champion over the last few years have led to comparisons with two of cyclocross's most successful crossover stars, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel.

“He is also going to lose often,” Sven Nys responds, looking to ease the pressure of expectation. “What I especially don't want to see is people now comparing themselves to Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel. It doesn't reach their knees yet and it doesn't need to. Let him first try to make life difficult for the men who are now at the start. And what we have, we have.”